


Redemption, Part 2

by Rosetylars



Series: Cricverse [24]
Category: Cricket RPF, Sports RPF
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:07:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26419234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosetylars/pseuds/Rosetylars
Summary: It's the final T20 versus England, and Mitch finally gets his chance.
Relationships: Aaron Finch/Glenn Maxwell, Alex Carey/Kane Richardson, Marcus Stoinis/Adam Zampa, Pat Cummins/Mitch Marsh
Series: Cricverse [24]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1755766
Comments: 14
Kudos: 10





	Redemption, Part 2

**Author's Note:**

> England, September 2020.
> 
> ***  
> This is preceded by [Hub life](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26283553) but can be read on its own.

Pat knew he was a chance to be rested for the final T20, since it was a dead rubber. The world number one T20 ranking was still on the line, but with so many fast bowlers in the squad and three ODIs still to come in a cramped schedule, rest and load management were a priority. He had a quick chat with JL and Bails the night before the T20, and they all agreed he should sit this one out.

“Is Mitch waiting for you outside?” JL asked, half a smile on his face.

Pat’s eyes widened slightly. “How could you tell?”

“Mate, you’ve been glued together since the first time I met you,” JL pointed out.

Pat chuckled softly, sprung. “Yeah, he’s outside.”

“Call him in on your way out,” JL suggested.

Pat raised his eyebrows, nodding, heading out to the hallway to find Mitch standing just beside the door.

Mitch pecked him on the lips. It had been almost ten minutes since they had seen each other, after all.

“What’s the verdict?” Mitch asked.

“I’m sitting out, but they want to talk to you,” Pat replied, picking a piece of fluff from Mitch’s collar absently.

Mitch nodded, listening. “Alright,” he replied, surprised.

Pat nodded encouragingly as Mitch walked through the door he had just come out of.

Pat got his phone out to check his messages - there were about seven from Tim, checking on Steve, and one from Shaun, checking on Mitch.

Pat had just sent off some replies and scrolled through his social media feeds when Mitch came out of the room, grinning.

“I’m playing,” Mitch told him.

Pat grinned, pulling Mitch in for a tight hug. He buried his head in Mitch’s shoulder, breathing deeply. He could hear Mitch chuckling with disbelief beside his ear, too.

Pat pulled back just enough to kiss him, arms still wrapped tightly around Mitch’s waist.

“Come on, text Shaun. He might still be awake,” Pat suggested, pecking Mitch on the forehead.

***

The morning of the match, Marcus and Adam went through their usual coffee routine.

Marcus made their bed while Adam made their coffee, and they sat on top of the covers to drink them.

After a few minutes, Marcus requested a kiss, and Adam rolled his eyes fondly, putting his spare hand on Marcus’ jaw, leaning in to press a chaste kiss to his boyfriend’s lips.

Adam screwed up his nose. “You need a shave,” he declared.

Marcus pulled a face in response. “Can’t be bothered,” he whined. “I will before the ODI series.”

Adam shrugged, accepting that.

A few minutes later, there was a familiar knock on the door, and Adam got up to open it.

It was Alex, Kane standing behind him, a hand on Alex’s hip.

“Got any coffee left?” Alex asked, blue eyes twinkling.

“Of course,” Adam replied, opening the door wider and letting the South Australian pair in.

Marcus stood up as they walked in. Kane greeted Marcus with a fist bump, and Marcus kissed Kez on the cheek.

“Yum, that smells amazing,” Alex declared, sitting on the couch.

Marcus grinned. “Adsy made it. He has the magic touch when it comes to this stuff,” he declared.

Alex gave Marcus a cheeky smile. “Just this stuff?”

“Oi, watch it,” Kane protested weakly, bumping Alex’s shoulder playfully.

Alex rolled his eyes fondly, giving Kane a placating kiss.

The old tension between Kane and Marcus was mostly gone, thanks to a cheeky intervention by their respective boyfriends the previous summer. That had made things a lot simpler for the four of them, and they had been spending more time together since then.

Kane stood up to show Marcus something on his phone, so Adam sat in the spare seat beside Alex, nudging him playfully.

"Never thought I'd see them share a meme together," Adam whispered with a grin.

Alex laughed, throwing his head back. "Neither. It's like we sent them to puppy school to learn how to deal with other men," he teased.

Adam laughed, shaking his head fondly. "Took them long enough."

At that point, Kane and Marcus seemed to realise their boyfriends were whispering and giggling. 

"What's funny, you two?" Marcus asked, a little self consciously.

"Nothing," Adam assured. "Nothing at all."

***

Before the match, Pat felt more nervous than he had for any game he played in himself. He was biting at the skin of his lips, sitting at Mitch’s locker as everyone put on their playing kits, and of course, Mitch noticed.

“Patty, stop,” Mitch chastised, running his thumb along Pat’s lower lip to encourage him to free it from his teeth.

Pat sighed. “Sorry. Nervous for you,” he admitted softly.

“I’ll be fine,” Mitch replied, trying to convince both of them simultaneously.

Pat looked up at him, and Mitch caved, standing between Pat’s legs and leaning down to kiss him.

“Social distancing,” Marnus called out from across the room, throwing a balled up pair of socks at Mitch for good measure.

Mitch stood up and rolled his eyes. “Tell that to those two,” he said to Marnus, looking pointedly at Adam, who was delicately smoothing Marcus’ collar for him, while Marcus tried to catch his lips in a kiss.

JL held a hand up, silencing the bickering. “Marnus, mate, that ship has sailed. This team is a nightmare for enforcing distancing. We’ve gotta pick our battles.”

Mitch chuckled at JL’s words, and even Pat managed a little smile.

Mitch turned back to Pat, leaning over to press a kiss to his forehead. “I’ll be okay. It’s just Big Bash in different uniforms. I love Big Bash,” he said gently.

Pat nodded. “Just hate the shit that everyone writes about you,” he admitted. “If-“

“No, baby, we can’t do what ifs. I’m gonna go out there and help us win,” Mitch said

Pat met Mitch’s eyes and took a deep breath. “Okay,” he sighed. “Okay. You’re gonna be great. I love you.”

Mitch smiled softly, leaning down for one last kiss before they headed out for the on field warm up.

“Love you more, Patty.”

***

The Aussies bowled first, and England set them the target of 146.

Aaron and Matt Wade got off to a quick start, putting on 31 runs in the first three overs, before Wade was dismissed for 14.

Marcus headed out to the middle, and Adam sat between Kez and Pat on the balcony.

Pat squeezed Adam’s thigh. “He’s gonna be brilliant,” Pat smiled.

Adam ducked his head, pleased. “Hope so,” he agreed.

Kez leant over to murmur something in Adam’s ear, making Adam blush, high on his cheeks.

Marcus and Aaron batted brilliantly together, putting together almost 40 runs before Marcus mishit one and was caught out for 26 from 18 balls.

Adam swore under his breath, and Kez squeezed his shoulder. “Go be with him,” Alex suggested softly.

Adam nodded, getting out of his seat so he could be there when Marcus got to the locker room.

Pat reached across the empty seat to poke Alex playfully. “Look who’s out in the the middle together,” Pat pointed out.

Alex looked out at the pitch to see Glenn and Aaron, smiling together, sharing a fist bump.

Alex huffed a soft laugh. “They’re so obvious.”

Pat smiled, agreeing, though he had butterflies in his stomach that they were two wickets away from Mitch heading out for his first international innings since March.

Out in the middle, Glenn and Aaron got into their partnership together. They took some of the most dangerous runs Pat had ever seen - at one point, Aaron ended up with dirt smeared all down the front of his playing top, having had to dive to make his ground in time.

When they reconvened in the middle of the pitch, Glenn smiled apologetically.

“Thanks a lot for that,” Aaron deadpanned.

Glenn chuckled. “I appreciate your trust in me,” he teased.

Aaron rolled his eyes fondly, bumping gloved with Glenn before they went back to their ends of the pitch.

Their partnership lasted three overs, but Glenn was dismissed for 6 from 11. Aaron followed Glenn back to the pavilion just two balls later.

It was Mitch’s turn to head in to bat. Pat thought he might vomit with nerves. It was Mitch's first match with the name Cummins-Marsh on his back, and that made Pat even more anxious.

By now, Marcus and Adam were back on the balcony. Adam held out a packet of lollies to Pat, which he had procured from inside. Pat took a snake gratefully.

“He’s going to be great,” Adam assured, squeezing Pat’s shoulder. “What’s gotten you so nervous this time?”

Pat grimaced. “It’s his first match since we got married,” he replied, twisting his ring on his finger nervously. “He’s acting calm but I know how nervous he is. I just want this so badly for him.”

Adam and Marcus exchanged a knowing look. Adam squeezed Pat’s thigh comfortingly. “He’s got this, Patty.“

Back in the middle, Mitch took two runs off his first ball, making Pat sigh with relief. Only a couple of balls later, though, he was nearly caught out at slip, but it rolled away harmlessly for a four.

Pat must have made a noise, because JL looked over to him with a fond chuckle.

Mitch and Steve saw out the rest of Denly’s over without incident, but on the first ball of Rashid’s over, Mitch was dropped once more.

Pat thought he might actually have a heart attack. He half wanted to get up and go for a walk, but he couldn’t move. Mitch needed him right there.

The final ball of that over was Steve’s downfall, and he cursed himself as he departed for just three.

Ash Agar headed out to join Mitch, and most of the Aussies headed out to the balcony, sensing that it was getting very tight.

Marnus came out and handed Pat a coffee in a takeaway cup, which he had made inside.

“The coffee beans in the team supply don’t seem as nice as the ones in my room, so I hope it’s okay,” Marnus grimaced.

Pat was touched by the gesture, regardless. “Thanks, Marn,” he smiled softly.

Marnus waved away his thanks with a hand through the air. “You look like you’re about to be sick, mate. Least I could do. There are chocolate biscuits but I figured you wouldn’t be able to stomach any,” he chuckled.

Pat’s heart warmed at the consideration. “You’re probably right,” he agreed, taking a sip of the coffee. It was nice and warm, and just the distraction he needed to take away from his nerves a fraction.

Mitch and Ash managed five singles from Ali’s over, and then Archer came on to bowl.

Kane stood up and headed back inside, shaking his head, and Alex rushed after him, comforting him under his voice.

Pat turned to Adam. “What’s that all about?”

Adam shrugged sagely. “Think Jofra still triggers Kane after he got Kez in the face,” he replied.

Pat grimaced. He hadn’t thought about that.

Luckily, the boys in the middle dealt with the pace pretty well, and with five overs remaining, they only needed 34 runs.

Wood came on to bowl next, and from his first delivery, Mitch smashed his first six into the stands. Pat’s contacts weren’t as great as his glasses, but he was pretty sure Mitch looked up to him on the balcony with delight.

A four a couple of balls later brought Mitch up to 26, and by the end of the over, they only needed 20 from four overs to win.

They managed five runs from Curran’s over.

Then six from Jordan’s. Two runs from Jordan’s final delivery brought Mitch up to his equal best T20I score of 36, which he had first made the day he and Pat had begun their relationship, back in 2011. JL must have known, too. He gave Pat a knowing look from the other side of the balcony, and even though his expression didn’t give anything away, Pat knew he was proud, too.

9 from 12 balls required.

Curran bowled the second last over, and the boys took 8 from it.

The Aussies only needed one run from the last over, but after falling short in the last two matches, everyone was still on edge.

Mitch was on strike.

He defended the first ball.

Then the second.

He swatted the next ball along the ground, and he could have been run out if it weren’t for an inaccurate throw.

Pat could have cried. Mitch had made the winning runs.

There was a rush to get downstairs and congratulate the boys, but before they got there, several boys patted Pat on the back and the bum, congratulating him.

His mind was half focused on getting to Mitch and kissing him, but he thanked everyone.

JL put an arm around Pat’s shoulders for a moment. “New high score, hey?”

Pat grinned, meeting his coach’s eyes. “The last one was as old as our relationship,” he chuckled.

JL hadn’t realised that. “Actually?”

Pat nodded. “Exact same day.”

JL shook his head with disbelief. “You boys are too much. Come on, go get him,” JL encouraged, patting Pat on the back.

Mitch and Ash were accepting a bunch of congratulations and compliments from the squad, but Mitch’s eyes met Pat’s as soon as Pat made it outside.

Pat wanted to wait for Mitch to get all the credit he deserved, but Mitch had other ideas. He had his helmet wedged under one arm, but Mitch opened his spare arm to Pat, grinning.

Pat put his arms around Mitch’s waist and kissed him chastely, before dropping his head to Mitch’s shoulder in a tight hug.

“How was that?” Mitch asked, and Pat could hear the grin in his voice.

“So good, baby,” Pat replied, kissing him once more. “I’m so proud of you. You beat your old high score!”

Mitch looked up to the score board. “Did I?” He asked, chuckling with surprise.

“Yes, Mitchy,” Pat replied with a grin. “So proud of you.”

There was a rush as the captains had their interviews, because both teams had to remain physically distanced, even though they were all tested so often they were probably among the safest people in the world.

But then Mitch was named man of the match.

Pat didn’t cry. If it seemed like his eyes watered, it was because his contact lenses became really dry.

***

Back at the hotel, after their team dinner, Aaron and Glenn settled into bed.

“Thanks for calling for the world’s tightest runs ever,” Glenn teased.

Aaron laughed, pulling Glenn into his arms, pressing kisses to his boyfriend’s forehead.

“You did run for them, though,” Aaron pointed out. “Must be because you trust me,” he singsonged.

Glenn rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t hide his fond smile as he leant up to kiss Aaron. “I do. Whether that’s a good or bad thing, well…” he teased, making Aaron chuckle.

***

A few doors down, Pat and Mitch were finally in bed after celebrating Mitch’s achievements (perhaps a little too enthusiastically, if the scratches Pat’s blunt nails had raked into Mitch’s back were anything to go by.)

Mitch was half asleep, but Pat leant over him, peppering kisses all over his face, making the older man laugh.

“Patty, that tickles,” he protested weakly, reaching up to brush Pat’s long hair back out of his eyes.

Pat chuckled, settling with his head on Mitch’s chest, leaning up to kiss him lazily.

“I’m so proud of you, Mitchy. You amaze me more and more every day,” Pat murmured.

Mitch melted, pressing a kiss to Pat’s forehead. “Thank you for always believing in me when I’m out there.”

“Always, baby. Until the day we retire,” Pat replied sleepily.

As they fell asleep, Mitch realised just how true that was. Pat’s support hadn’t wavered, from that day in Johannesburg, all the way until today. He felt so lucky to be married to his best friend.


End file.
